lagoon 42 sailboat data

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• Lagoon 42 Millenium New
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YOUR FAMILY GETAWAY

Length overall

Upwind sail area

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Boat of the Year 2017 - Cruising World

Best Boats 2017 - Multihull

Sailing Today Awards 2016 - Multihull

Asia Boating Award 2016 - Best Multihull Sailing Yacht

THE PERFECT BLEND

The Lagoon 42 affirms a distinctive style and personality.  Performance combines with strength in a unique design and thoughtful construction.  A generous catamaran, the Lagoon 42 is always at ease, while cruising and at anchor.

VERSATILITY AND EASE OF HANDLING

Under sail, the beautiful reaches of the Lagoon 42 demonstrate balance and high performance.  They are the result of expert craftsmanship and organic design by VPLP Design and Patrick le Quément.  Her unique style combines dynamic energy with smooth handling.

THE FREEDOM OF SPACE

Just two steps separate the swim platform and the cockpit.  The ergonomic design guarantees space and fluid movement on board.  Sheltered and well ventilated, the cockpit is an open invitation to relax.

ELEGANCE AND MODERNITY

Echoing her exterior lines, the interior design, by Nauta Design, combines elegance and softness with contemporary woodwork.  Light, comfort, privacy… the style of the Lagoon 42 offers a wealth of benefits to share.

Already 1000 corals adopted thanks to the Lagoon family !

VIRTUAL VISIT OF THE LAGOON 42

Enter the cockpit of the Lagoon 42 from her aft transoms and imagine yourself at sea… 

Your tour begins here.

Interested in this catamaran?

Specifications

• Hull length 12,79m / 42'
• Length overall 13.22 m / 43’’4’
• Beam 7,68m / 25'2''
• Waterline length 12,50 m / 41’
• Water draft 1,25m / 4'1''
• Air draft 20,65m / 67'9''
• Light displacement (EEC) 12,1 t / 26,681 Lbs
• Upwind sail area 90 m² / 968 sq.ft
• Square top mainsail (opt.) 59m² / 635 sq.ft
• Self-tacking jib 35m² / 377 sq.ft
• Code 0 (opt.) 68m² / 732 sq.ft
• Motorisation - standard 2 x 57 CV / HP
• Water tank capacity 300 l / 79 US gal
• Fuel tank capacity 600 l / 159 US gal
• No. of berths From 6 to 12
• CE approval A : 12 / B : 14 / C : 20 / D : 30

PRESS releases

Lagoon 42 - 2016

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 26th April 2020

Lagoon 42 - 2016's main features

• 2017: Cruising World - Boat of the Year: Full-Size Multihull Under 50 Feet
• 2017: SAIL magazine - Best Multihull Cruising Boat 41 to 50ft

Lagoon 42 - 2016's main dimensions

Lagoon 42 - 2016's rig and sails, lagoon 42 - 2016's performances, lagoon 42 - 2016's auxiliary engine, lagoon 42 - 2016's accommodations and layout, lagoon 42 - 2016's saloon, lagoon 42 - 2016's fore cabin, lagoon 42 - 2016's aft cabin.

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• Sailboat Guide

Lagoon 42 is a 42 ′ 5 ″ / 13 m catamaran sailboat designed by Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prevost and built by TPI Composites, CNB, and Lagoon Catamaran between 1990 and 1994.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Another version was called the MOORINGS LAGOON 4200.

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Lagoon 42 2

The lagoon 42 2 is a 42.0ft fractional sloop designed by van peteghem/lauriot prévost and built in fiberglass by lagoon catamaran since 2016..

The Lagoon 42 2 is a light sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. The fuel capacity is average. There is a short water supply range.

Lagoon 42 2 for sale elsewhere on the web:

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• Boat Test: Lagoon 42

48° North Editor, Joe Cline, puts the sails up on the Lagoon 42 — one of the latest evolutions of technology, comfort, and sailing performance in the world of cruising catamarans.

“Man, this thing is effing massive.” I replied candidly, if inelegantly, when my tour guide for the day, Dan Krier, stepped aboard the Lagoon 42 catamaran on which I stood and asked me what I thought.

Any new boat I review is a voyage of discovery. Yet, each time I’ve tested a new cruising catamaran, the result is at least as much ‘your author learns about cruising cats and cat sailing’ as it is a boat review. My lovely afternoon on the Lagoon 42 was hardly an exception though, perhaps with a number of these under my belt now, I’m not quite as green about it all as I once was. Nonetheless, my first impression still revealed my monohull-sailor’s-lens — the size, space, and luxury of the living areas on the Lagoon 42 were simply astounding; lovelier than some of the Lake Union houseboats nearby.

A number of years ago, I reviewed the Lagoon 39, a design predecessor to the 42. The big development with the 39 had been that Lagoon chose to move the mast aft, allowing for a more balanced and high-aspect sailplan. A few years later, some of those innovations were employed and improved in a 42-foot design and the Lagoon 42 made its debut. Several of those evolutions center on weight reduction and hull design, and our sailing experience positively reflected these steps forward.

Sailing the Lagoon 42 was simple and enjoyable. As is often the case, the light to moderate conditions on Lake Union weren’t what the boat was built for — but let me assure you, I had more fun than I expected. The boat’s sail plan is made more powerful and effective by the addition of a Code Zero. Dan told me he orders all stock boats with one because you really want it for cruising in the PNW — I agree completely, but more on this sail and its application later.

We casually untied dock lines and maneuvered out of the marina area. Even with all of its heft and windage, the boat is maneuverable enough with its two Yanmar-powered saidrives that there’s no need for a bow thruster. We hoisted the main effortlessly with the electric winch and unfurled the jib. The total time from leaving the dock to sailing was approximately 86 seconds. Easy.

The boat moved admirably to weather with the square-top main and self tacking jib. In 4 to 8 knots, we were able to make 3 to 4 knots of boat speed and push our true wind angles close enough to the breeze to compete with many cruising monohulls. To be fair, everything about the boat feels better if you sail a bit fatter, a little further from the wind — it’s certainly how I would sail it, anyway. So, real-life performance to weather is good by cruising catamaran standards, but that’s not among the design’s top priorities. And, as I like to say, all boat design is a compromise.

Driving and trimming were a cinch with the go-to sailplan (main and jib), and the raised helm station is really a full-on control center. Everything you need to sail the boat — from engine ignition and controls to sheets and sail adjustments and the impressive navigation and instrument display — leads to that single helm station where there is a bench seat wide enough to accommodate two sailors. There are two adjacent winches to share the load, one of which is electric. Rather than overwork ourselves with the top-handle winch, we used the electric winch more frequently. The position of the helm station is important because of how high it is above the deck and the water. Visibility can be a challenge on a boat this big and broad; but both standing and sitting at the helm gave me 360 degree views and I never once worried about my ability to see around me.

Trimming the boat is an interesting balance between a somewhat adjustable jib and an extraordinarily adjustable main. It’s not news that self-tacking jibs can leave something to be desired in terms of malleability and shape for those, like me, with CSTS (Compulsive Sail Tweaking Syndrome). Overall, I liked the shape we achieved with the self-tacker, and I appreciated the athwartships-adjustable stopping pins on the track, which enabled alteration of the sheeting angle. The mainsail on the other hand, is highly adjustable thanks in part to an unthinkably wide traveller track. Adjusting the traveller is important, because the mainsheet does double duty for standard sheeting and boom height — as with most cruising cats, there is no boom vang. In windy downwind conditions, I imagine you’d be glad to have every inch of that traveller. On our test day, it stayed within about two feet of center and drove the boat well.

Maneuvers are a slower proposition on any cruising cat compared to a similarly-sized monohull, but the Lagoon 42 went through her paces with leisurely grace. With even a small amount of boat speed, getting through a tack required no assistance from backwinding the jib (kind of challenging with the self tacker) or goosing the turn with motor power.

After making our way upwind toward the south end of the lake, we unfurled the massive Code Zero and started to have even more fun. The big sail offers a great deal of versatility, adding a lot of sail area and oomph for headings ranging from a close reach down to a full run. Not that I think anyone is likely to choose to spend much time at it, but we even played with sailing wing-on-wing with the Code Zero.

There was lots to like about the sail right out of the box, and the sheeting and trimming appointments were well placed. Unlike pretty much everything else, the Code Zero can’t be trimmed from the helm. Instead, it sheets to winches on the aft quarter of the cockpit area. These winches are waist height when standing, giving a powerful ergonomic position for the trimmer. True sail shape geeks may look to add a clever aftermarket tweaker of some kind to offer twistier profiles in lighter air, but the sail design gives a lot of versatility for upwind sailing. The Code Zero adds a lot to the way the boat sails. On reaching angles, our speed jumped up to 5 knots — really nice in those conditions. With the Code Zero furler little more than a couple feet forward of the jib furler and headstay, one must furl the sail to change tacks. It’s a smooth running furler, so you don’t need to be an America’s Cup athlete to wind the sail in for a maneuver.

Our light lake conditions didn’t really show another important innovation on the Lagoon 42 while sailing, but winding the Yanmars up to the max did. The design of the hulls is focused on bow buoyancy. These aren’t flat-bottomed daggers aimed at planing, but when we brought the boat up to 9 knots (a speed you would very reasonably expect to see and exceed when reaching or running in a stiff breeze), the boat had a very bow-up trim. Images of the boat sailing in heavy air confirm what we felt under power. This boat trim tendency is crucial for a cruising cat which, with its surplus of space, may get loaded down with gear while living aboard. You don’t want even a heavily loaded cat to be bow heavy or at risk of digging into waves, and the Lagoon 42’s hull forms offer all the assurance a sailor could hope for in this department.

I’ve written and maintain that a cruising catamaran would be my boat of choice when it comes to pure enjoyment at some quiet PNW anchorages. The interior accommodations almost leave me speechless. The expansive cockpit is perfect for all-season cruising since it is covered by the coachroof, and I imagine that most meals would be enjoyed around its table. Single-level living with a modern indoor-outdoor feel is handsomely accomplished between that large cockpit and the saloon just ahead of it. In that saloon, you’ve got what is clearly among the most functional and luxurious galleys around — if there was such a thing as a chef’s kitchen on a boat, this is it. The galley would be a challenge on a heeling monohull with few options for bracing, but on a stable cat like this, it works and I’d love to cook there.

The two hulls are broad enough to offer a full queen aft-berth with walk around sides, lots of light, and standing headroom. Depending on intended use, there are three- or four-cabin layouts available. Our test boat’s three-cabin “owner’s version” would no doubt be my choice, with the comfort and privacy of your own hull with the aforementioned queen berth, as well as lots of additional storage, a desk for working remotely, and a gigantic head with separate monster shower.

As I said to Dan at the start of our day, this is a seriously big boat with oodles of room, style, and comfort. These cruising catamarans are getting to be better and better sailing vessels, and the Lagoon 42 is one of the latest and best designs embodying this balance of performance and the combination of strength, stability, storage, and space you’d want on a go-anywhere cruising boat. The bonus with the Lagoon 42 is that you get all of that liveability in a package that is still manageable in tight quarters and easy to sail for a family, a couple, or even a singlehander.  

Joe Cline has been the Managing Editor of 48° North since 2014. From his career to his volunteer leadership in the marine industry, from racing sailboats large and small to his discovery of Pacific Northwest cruising —Joe is as sail-smitten as they come. Joe and his wife, Kaylin, welcomed a baby girl to their family in December 2021, and he is enjoying fatherhood while still finding time to sail, make music, and tip back a tasty IPA every now and again.

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Lagoon 42 – tested and reviewed

New rig, level living area and sweeter lines – small changes make the new lagoon 42 a slick package.

ST’s Lagoon 42 verdict:

Cruising catamarans are not to everyone’s taste, but the pros and cons versus monohulls are well known. The Lagoon, however, enjoys more sympathetic styling than some of her contemporaries. Beneteau clearly has the financial muscle to indulge in some serious R&D before commissioning a new boat and it shines through in the Lagoon. She has been carefully and thoughtfully put together and represents a refinement and distillation of all its considerable experience in this field.

The helming station was a prime example of this approach, as it delivered most of the benefits of a bridge deck helming station without leaving the helmsman isolated, as is often the case with this arrangement. I was also impressed by the directness and ‘feel’ of the helm, which was a refreshing contrast with many cruising multihulls.

Performance : 3.5/5 Comfort : 5/5 Bluewater : 3/5 Price : From £234,000 Dealer : ancasta.com

Insure this yacht with  Craftinsure  from £1,102.03

Master cabin

Plenty of beam aft means there is room for a good sized double berth. Note the extensive portlights and hatches

Master heads

In the owner’s layout, the master heads to starboard have extensive storage space

Spacious saloon

On any catamaran, it’s the saloon living space which most impresses and the Lagoon 42 excels with a sophisticated design and flush entry to the cockpit

Bulkhead helming

The bulkhead helming position gives visibility over the coachroof, but still allows the skipper to take part in cockpit conversation

Designers VPLP moved the mast back and added a self-tacking jib

The small bowsprit makes it easy to fly downwind sails with deep sheeting angles, while a self-tacking jib runs on a track set into the coachroof. Tests in the Bahamas saw the 42 doing 16kt in about 22kt of breeze.

The saloon, cockpit and aft deck are now all on the same level and the cutaway freeboard makes it easier to step onto the bathing platform when alongside

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Description

The Lagoon 42 is the French yard’s top seller and that is because it hits that sweet spot for many buyers. It’s big enough to live aboard very comfortably while not feeling too big to handle for a couple. This review will cover the main Pros and Cons of this model and some of the options we think you should go for.

First Came the 420.. This VPLP design replaced the 420 and the 421 which were pretty big sellers for Lagoon (170 or so), so it had some pretty big shoes to fill. Read our Lagoon 410 review to get an idea how things have moved on since the 2nd Generation boats.

In common with her other fourth generation sisters (the 40, 46 and so on), the 42 has a curvier look than her predecessors. It’s a design that has evolved from the third generation models like the Lagoon 400 (another top seller) and the 450.

She’s solid and looks like she could handle a big sea. And then you have those trademark vertical windows in the saloon that maximise the living space and help keep the sun out of the saloon. You are not going to be sailing as fast as a C-Cat 48 , but that’s not the point of the Lagoon 42. It’s a great sailing/comfort package.

Photos credit: Nicolas Claris, Lagoon.

In common with the other boats in this generation, the mast has been stepped further aft allowing you to fly more sail area forward of the mast. This helps to centralise the weight and reduce pitching, and it makes it easier for a couple or even a solo sailor to manage the mainsail when the wind picks up.

On the 380, Lagoon positioned the rig 37 percent aft. On the 42 it’s 53 percent aft, it´s that big a difference. That’s what helps to minimise the pitching: it’s just over halfway down the boat, centralising the weight of the mast.

Weighty This isn’t a light boat though. There is an option to go for a larger square top mainsail which we would recommend to put at the top of your extras list. The Lagoon philosophy is to build catamarans that are easy to use, and that are comfortable and safe. The 42 ticks those boxes and it performs well for its length and weight, even if it’s not a performance catamaran.

Charter a Lagoon 42 Catamaran

Why not test the Lagoon 42 in a charter? Browse our extensive list of Lagoon 42s’s for rent below ⇓

Find a well maintained, high quality Lagoon 42 for charter with Katamarans.

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• Living space. If you are looking to max out your living space per metre of length, then a Lagoon is always going to score highly and the 42 is no exception with a high beam to length ratio. You’ll notice the difference down below, especially. You can see from the side profile shot how far the coachroof extends forwards. That means a big comfy saloon. The shower in the owner’s version is huge.
• The life raft is held in a dedicated open recess on the transom of the boat and can be easily deployed whatever the orientation of the boat.
• Protected helm. The bulkhead helm is well connected to the cockpit and is well protected with a sturdy dodger. It´s a position that has proved popular with buyers. It is open to the sea though (see cons below).
• Although the boom is higher than some of the 42’s competitors, it is lower than a flybridge cat and pretty easy to access- a good compromise
• All the lines lead to the helm which sits to port on the main bulkhead. This make it an easy boat to sail short handed – the coach roof is just a short hop away.
• There’s a nice big nav station to starboard in the saloon at the end of the sofa.
• Resale. Although Lagoon sell a lot of boats, the demand for them is also high on the second hand market as they are a popular brand. If you look after your 42, she should fetch a decent price later.
• This is a heavy boat, so you will need to put some money in your sail locker to power it. Off the wind, you can call these boats nippy (it’s a catamaran after all), but you won’t be setting any speed records closer to the wind, particular in lighter conditions. Make sure the square top mainsail is at the top of your options list. A code 0 would be nice too.
• Lack of hand-grabs on the coachroof. We’d have liked to have seen hand rails here to improve safety going forward. There is a channel that runs along the coach roof to grab, but if its aesthetics vs safety, we choose safety.
• Visibility from the helm. If you stand on tiptoes, and duck and dive a bit, you can just about see all 4 corners of the boat from the bulkhead main. It is easier for taller people. That helm seat is pretty low, you might want to buy an extra cushion!
• Also, the helm is pretty open to port. On the one hand this makes it easy to nip around, but it feels exposed at sea and would worry me on longer night passages.
• Because of the bulkhead main, there is less room in the aft cockpit than other “open” designs. It is hardly cramped though.
• Ventilation in the saloon. There are no overhead hatches, only 2 forward opening windows.
• With the mast stepped back, you have a pole in the saloon breaking up the space. On the other hand, it’s something to grab onto if the weather turns. You might find yourself doing a bit of impromptu pole dancing if the waves get up.
• The edge of the coach roof can get slippy. Watch your step!

Despite her weight, VPLP have done a great job with the 42 on her sailing characteristics. She accelerates well in gusts and on a beam or a broad reach she is a nice mover.

In a gentle breeze you should be sailing at 5-7 knots and in a Force 4 or moderate breeze 8-9. Downwind with the gennaker up you should log speeds in the low teens.

You can pinch the 42 closer, say to 50 (35-40 apparent), but the speed will drop off and you will start to slip sideways. Folding props should be the next item on your extras list after the square top mainsail. They should buy you an extra knot.

Get the Big Sails Out When You Can When the wind dies, you will have your work cut out for you though. In anything under the 10 knots, the 42 is sluggish unless you have more square footage to fly forward of the mast. A gennaker for downwind work and a Code 0 for angles closer to the wind will keep you moving.

If they didn’t make the budget cut, then you can always power up the leeward engine upwind to get you where you need to go quickly. And if they did make the budget cut then it could be time to think of ordering that parasailor for the downwind work 😉

Well Organised With all the lines coming back to the helm, the 42 is well set up for short handed sailing and she is a forgiving boat.

The self-tacking jib makes things easy, but one thing to note is that with the mast stepped back on these boats, the centre of effort of the mainsail is further aft than on other cats. That will tend to turn the boat into the wind and you need to watch the weather helm and make sure that you balance the sail plan.

The Design Feedback Loop All in all, with the 42, Lagoon has learnt from previous models and fed that information back into the design process. In that respect, this French builder is unique in that they have so much data. Only Fountaine Pajot and Leopard come close.

The previous model, the Lagoon 420 has a long bridgedeck, and small nets. That means big comfort with all that volume, but the performance suffers.  On the Lagoon 42, they brought the bridgedeck ratio (LOA-to-bridgedeck length) down to 1.52-to-1.

Living Space

As with most of the range, this is where the Lagoon 42 excels – it is now part of the French builder’s DNA to build comfortable boats and that means plenty of interior volume for her length.

There’s a top-loading fridge by the stairs to the port hull (it can be tricky to rummage around in the bottom of it while you are perched on the steps).

Navigate from the Sofa Forward, there´s an L-shaped sofa which ends up at the nav station, with a decent sized chart table and the interior B&G nav instruments. All in all, it’s a decent space.

They still haven’t gone for overhead hatches on the 42 (same as the older boats like the 450). I can’t think why, as this is a problem for ventilation, especially when you are cooking on the hook or at the dock – the breeze comes through from two forward windows.

A Big Shower If you go for the owner’s layout, the starboard hull is all for the owner with a spacious island berth aft and plenty of windows for light and visibility. There’s a desk amidships and a huge head forward with a spacious shower space. We’ve no complaints, it’s one of the nicest set ups we’ve seen on a production cat.

In the port hull, the aft berth is repeated and next to it is a private head with a separate shower space. Going forward in the port hull is the forward cabin (not as spacious but with plenty of room) with a head and shower combo. You can convert the forepeak into a skipper berth for charters.

The Lagoon 42 comes with twin 45HP Yanmars with saildrives as standard, but you can opt for 57HPs Yanmars and Flexofold folding propellers if your budget will stand it. I would put the folding props at the top of your options list.

The standard power unit will push you along at 7 knots at 2,000 rpm and just over 8 knots at 3,200 rpm with the pedal to the metal, depending on the sea state of course.

Go for the 57s if You Can You’ll get around half an knot extra with the more powerful engines, but they will help you punch through the waves if you are smacking into them.

Owner’s Review

If you would like more information on the Lagoon 42, Anas & Noellie from Sailing Malaika have also kindly helped us out with an owner’s review.

Lagoon have done a great job on the 42 in designing a boat that punches above its weight on performance for the volume it carries and the comfort that gives.

This model is a big step up from the 420 performance wise and it feels like they are turned the speed dial up versus the previous generation of boats.

The boat can be sluggish in light airs, but then you have the option of the Code 0. Because the mast has been stepped aft, you have room to fly more square metres forward of the mast. Top of your options list should be the square top main as that will push your SA/D ratio up to a more respectable 18.

FAQs Lagoon 42

How much does a Lagoon 42 Cost? What is the Price? As always, this heavily depends on the options you go for. The basic price for a Lagoon 42 is around the €350k mark, but once you start adding all of those options, you can easily arrive at a figure of €500k. Then you add your taxes, of course. That should give you a ball park figure.

Technical Specification

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Released in 2016 and awarded Yacht of the Year 2017, the launch of the Lagoon 42 was of crucial importance to CNB , because it had to replace a bestseller, the 420/421 of which 270 units were produced.

1. The Lagoon 42’s design and construction

With its VPLP hull , and an exterior design by Patrick Le Quément and the Italian interior furnishings of Nauta Design, it feels like some real magic went into the creation of this catamaran. The Lagoon 42 is deliberately “curvier” than its predecessors . The swoopy gullwing bridgedeck was designed to minimise pounding from the sea in rough weather. The high glazed vertical windows, that bend around the cabin corners, reduce the greenhouse effect in tropical climates. The composite bimini is also curvy and angles up until it almost looks suspended.

The injection moulded construction gives it a slightly lighter weight of 13 tonnes , which, far from making it a lightweight (a Marsaudon TS 42 of the same dimensions weighs exactly half as much) at least enables it to avoid getting bulkier from one generation to the next. A solid, structural centre beam adds strength and rigidity while reinforcing the forestay fitting as well as the anchor roller with an anchor chain well that runs along the top of the beam rather than below it.

Like other contemporary Lagoons , the mast (VMG Soromap) has been moved aft for a wider choice of downwind sails. The mast’s position also helps keep the weight centred to reduce pitching. The boom is also shorter and the mast higher. The square-top mainsail (by Incidence) has a larger sail area of close to 40ft² over standard mainsails. A forward positioned self-tacking jib makes sailing easier with small crews.

2. On the Lagoon 42’s deck

The super wide transoms enable almost two of you to move around the front of the catamaran and are only two steps away from the cockpit level. However, the “flush” effect that the designers have gone for almost removes any means of holding onto the extremely slippery coachroof… What happens when there’s rough weather?

In the cockpit, the starboard table accommodates 8 people , facing a couch that seats another two. The raised helm to port is just three steps from the cockpit. Visibility is good when you’re tall (but almost non-existent when you’re sitting down and you’re short!) and there’s enough room for two crew members to work together with all the winches and instruments to hand. Lines lead to the cockpit, right into the hand of the helmsperson who can manoeuvre their boat on their own , thanks to the self-tacking jib. The ergonomics are very good, you can stand up everywhere and visibility to the sails through the raising hard-top bimini is excellent.

On the other hand, there aren’t any handholds on the opening roof and I dread to think of getting around in bad weather, on the rear hard-top bimini (where the mainsail track is mounted) which is slick as anything… A special mention goes to the folding davits , which don’t encumber the swim zone .

3. An interior full of space and comfort

A genuine three-panel glass door leads from the cockpit to the saloon and the U-shaped galley. The latter includes a cooker/Eno stove with three hobs and a single sink to starboard as well as refrigeration to port. The top-loading fridge is just at the edge of the stairs to the port hull and is so deep that you have to be careful not to fall into it when you’re trying to reach to the bottom !

There is a large L-shaped settee inside that also serves as a seat for the chart table/nav station. This is a plus point because here there’s a set of B&G sailing instruments for a position check and where you can operate the helm using remote controls from inside. The quality of the woodwork is satisfactory with cubby holes where the bottom part of the opening hatches is often made of solid wood, which adds some real durability to areas that are often weaker. There are no sharp angles to hinder movement .

Our trial boat had a proprietary starboard hull. From the island bed in the rear with a real slatted bed base , there’s a view over the surrounding area. A lovely office and a WC occupying the entire front end complete the picture. The massive shower also gets a special mention !

On the port side there are two cabins and two smaller shower rooms as well as an additional sleeping area (crew) at the end of the hull.

4. Trial at sea: sailing on a Lagoon 42

Four of us set out to try this new future superstar from the Lagoon shipyard . This boat is specifically designed for four. A couple with two children.

While the crew we had was ideal for a test under real conditions of use, the wind was having none of it… With just 10 knots of wind, we weren’t likely to capsize this lovely catamaran on this occasion… With the mainsail and self-tacking jib fully deployed, we managed 6 knots with 11 knots of wind. Not bad for a motorhome!

As soon as there were regular gusts, the boat took off and we didn’t need any further excuses to rig the Code Zero (732ft²). Mounted on a furler, it deploys in seconds to radically transform the behaviour of this Lagoon 42 cruiser. Still under a light breeze despite being out to sea, as soon as we picked up a gust of 10/12 knots, the boat accelerated to 8! This way, we blew everything that came near us out of the water in the Baie de Saint Raphaël, 45-50’ monohulls included !

5. Under power

Returning to port using the engine, our twin 57hp Yanmars with saildrives mounted with the Rolls Royce of propellers (Flexofold) delivered a speed of almost 9 knots at 3,200 RPM. At cruise speed, we got 7.7 knots at 2,000 rpm. With 2 engines and only 300L of fuel, the tankage seemed a bit light, but there’s so much space on board that it would be easy to bring a second tank with you. One last word on the engines, they each have a massive locker where the easily accessible helm jack is routed .

6. In conclusion

The spacious, extremely comfortable, well-designed, elegant and solidly constructed Lagoon 42 catamaran has got everything it takes to be a hit and the sales figures back this up!

Discover our latest used catamarans for sale on Band of Boats ! This trial was written by François Meyer.

The Ideal Sail Plan for the Lagoon 42 Catamaran

Note: This article assumes a good understanding of downwind and low wind speed sails. If you are relatively new, follow this link to our article on downwind sails first. 

Update : This article was updated in January of 2023 after doing an Atlantic crossing and re-considering what we want in our ideal sail plan.

We finally decided on a sail plan for our circumnavigation! We worked with the UK Sails loft in NYC for a while, and we recently landed on a final plan. This article explains the factors we considered during the process and why this plan was ideal for us.

We should start by saying that, like boats, sail inventories are compromises. Like boats, the ideal sail plan for one person can be a horrible idea for a different one. The sail inventory below is our ideal sail plan based on our priorities, sailing style, and goals. Our inventory is likely the wrong sail plan for many. In fact, this is not what I would recommend when I help new Lagoon 42 owners decide on their sail inventory. So yes, there are many alternatives to this inventory that will work for most cruisers and catamaran owners. The goal here is not to convenience anyone that this is the way to go but to highlight the issues that sailors should consider when deciding on their sail inventory. 

Our sail inventory reflects a preference for speed over comfort and a willingness to make frequent sail changes to optimize performance. Given these preferences, our inventory is larger and more specialized than the inventory of a cruising couple that prioritizes comfort and the simplicity of all-around sails . 

Update: Since I wrote the sentence above, my thinking about what we want has changed significantly. Specifically, the Atlantic made me realize the limitations of specialized sails when sailing short-handed. It also made me realize that during a passage, the simplicity of a more all-arround Gennaker on a furller could actually mean faster speeds because it would be used more than more specialized sails on a dousing sock. More of this later.

We prioritize a large inventory to optimize speed for four main reasons. First, I am (Nestor) an avid racer and thus tend to enjoy getting the boat to sail as efficiently as possible. I know I will be frustrated during passages knowing the boat could be sailing at 1-2 knots faster if I had the right headsail for the conditions.  Second, we like our long passages to be as short as possible. The right specialized sails can save us 2-3 days on an Atlantic or Pacific crossing compared to all-around sails. Those are 2-3 extra days that we will be able to enjoy safely and comfortably at anchor. Third, the right sails will allow us to sail in a much wider range of wind speeds and angles, drastically cutting down on motoring and diesel costs. So over time, this sail inventory will pay for itself (at least that’s what I tell myself!). And finally, having a large sail inventory can make us safer. The safety benefits are numerous, including redundancy on sails in case of sail damage, the ability to sail to safety upwind in conditions where otherwise you would have to depend on functioning engines, and the ability to get to anchor in the daytime while slower boats may get caught out in the dark. 

Update: Everything I said in the previous paragraph is still true, but my thinking about what inventory will achieve those goals has changed.

Our original wish list

In considering our sail inventory, we wanted enough headsails to cover most wind angles and wind speeds at optimal performance. Here is the initial wish list we discussed with the sailmakers:

• A jib with clew board.  
• A square-top main.
• A true flat code zero . Most “code zeros” or screechers marketed for catamarans are all-around upwind and mid-wind sails covering 60-110AWA. These are great sails when you have a limited inventory, but they are not ideal because you sacrifice upwind performance to broaden the mid-wind range. Instead, we wanted to true flat code zero with a mid-girth of 55 to 60% that can perform well in 50-90 AWA. 
• Update : It is still true that we want an A2, but it is no longer true that we don’t want a cruising spinnaker. We want both, which I explain below.
• Update : This is still true, but the likelihood that we would be flying an S4 in 25knots AWS, especially at night, when it’s just the two of us is unrealistic. If we had a larger crew of experienced sailors, I would get the S5, but given our plans, we would most likely sail with the jib on a barber hauler when the wind picks up and we are going downwind.
• Update : The A3 will be replaced by a furlling Gennaker that will also cover these same angles but maybe not in such high winds.

Our final inventory

White Sails

Main Sail  AWS: 0-40 . AWA 45-160 . Material: Hydranet . Size: 59sm. Our main sail will be a 59sqm square top hydranet sail. This is pretty similar to the standard square top that many owners have, with the difference being hydranet. This is an expensive but bulletproof material that has some significant benefits over dacron, including its ability to hold its shape for many more years, its lower weight, and its greater durability. 

Jib   AWS : 18-40. AWA : 45-160. Material : Hydranet . Size : 36sm. Our new jib will be different from the standard Lagoon 42 jib in that it will include a clew board which will allow us to adjust the leech tension much better. A clew board is a must-have for a self-tacking jib if one wants to adjust the sail twist in varying conditions. It is surprising that the standard sail did not come with one. You will notice that our jib will be built to fly primarily in 18-40AWS. This means it can be stronger than the standard jib as it will not be expected to fly in low winds. The rest of the sail inventory will cover the lower wind speeds. 

Downwind Sails

Asymmetrical 2 (A2)  AWS : 3-15. AWA : 130-160. Material : Superkote 90. 1.10oz. Size : 160sm. The A2 is a downwind asymmetric spinnaker designed for winds under 15knots. It is quite large at 160sqmt and relatively light at 1.10oz but it is heavier than racing A2s of the same size to increase durability. This will be our most commonly used downwind sail in very low winds.

Furling Gennaker (UPDATED) AWS 10-25. AWA 75-160. Material : Superkote 150/200. 2.2oz. Size : 130sm. This is the most critical change to our original inventory. I realized during the Atlantic crossing that having a furling cruising spinnaker that can fly in 10-25AWS and 75-160AWA was critical for short-handed crews. I explained some of the issues in the Atlantic crossing article, but here is the issue. When short-handed, I don’t feel it is prudent to fly a dousing spinnaker at night, especially when the wind is borderline too high or when squalls are expected. Consequently, if all we had was a dousing spinnaker, we would be taking it down at night and significantly slowing down our average speed. In contrast, with a furling Gennaker, we can leave it out overnight as one could furl it as needed even when one-handed. This increases the time the spinnaker will be up and thus increases our average speeds. Furling Gennakers are game-changers for two-handed crews.

Upwind Sails

Code-Zero AWS: 3-15. AWA: 45-90. Material : CZ30 Radial Laminate 55% Mid Girth. Size : 80sm. Our new code zero is a very flat sail designed to fly in as low as 3knots. This sail is not an all-around gennaker or screecher as it is too flat to go fly any deeper than 90 degrees. However, it will fly upwind much better than a traditional cruising screecher or code-D/G type of sails. 

UPDATE: We are changing our code zero to be able to fly in lighter winds at the cost of being able to fly in stronger winds (e.g., 15-18AWS). Why? Because the L42 is not able to keep up with this sail! What do I mean by that?

Why you should not fly the code zero in 15knots of wind speed: The issue is that as the wind increases, the AWA moves forward quite rapidly, which also increases the AWS. You then have to immediately bear away to keep both AWA and AWS manageable. The problem is that in winds above 15knots true, you will be forced to sail at 80-90AWA, which essentially means you are not going upwind at all! Say, for example, that you are sailing in 12knots true at 55AWA with the code zero. In this case, you will be sailing around 5-6knots of speed. Your TWA is around 70TWA and your AWS is about 15knots. So you are going upwind but barely and the AWS is pushing the capacity of the code zero. Let’s say now that the wind speed increases to 15TWS. Two things happen. First, your boat speed will increase to 7 knots and your AWS will increase to 18+knots, at the safe limit for the code zero. Second, the apparent wind will move forward into the 40s, collapsing the code zero. The only immediate solution will be to bare away to decrease the apparent wind speed and bring the apparent wind angle back into the 50s. The problem is that to accomplish this, your true wind angle will need to be close to 90! If you don’t pay attention to this, you will sail for hours away from your destination, not going upwind at all. In this case, you are much better off taking the code zero down and using the jib, which will allow you to point much higher. For this reason, we won’t use the code zero in 15 knots when upwind so we rather be designed to maximize performance at low wind speeds. Our final sail plan on a polar figure:

Feel free to comment below if you have questions.

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Great recommendations !!!

Wow, this is great info, really thought out!

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